Pressure mounts on Houthis to de-escalate attacks

The calls by the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and the international community to de-escalate Red Sea attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia may help ease shipping woes as a broader conflict would not be in the best interest of the region, say analysts.

They also said for a "regional war" to materialize, global actors "would need to make determined statements for war", but that "such an environment does not exist" and underscored that Red Sea attacks were being shaped by events unfolding in Gaza.

On Jan 4, the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, or PLC, warned the Houthi group against continuing its attacks on ships in the Red Sea, according to a report by Xinhua News Agency. The warning came as representatives from varied countries attending an open meeting of the UN Security Council on Houthi attacks on Jan 3 called for de-escalation.